Cat Viciously Bitting

Question
I have adopted my Gabbie Girl from the local animal shelter appx 3 yrs ago.  She has this very bad behavioral problem I don't know what to do about.  She will meow for me to move over on the couch and lay down w/ me and w/out even touching her she turns and will viciously bite my arm.  Can you pls give me some advise on why she might me doing this to me and how to handle this to make her stop.

Answer
Hi Sherry.  There is play aggression, when a cat may grab a hold of your arm and kick or bite at it.  But this generally wouldn't be described as vicious.  Just over-zealous play.  So I'm guessing you're dealing with something else.  It definitely sounds like an attention getting scheme to me!  I experienced this for the first time with a Siamese about 10 years ago.  It was to the point where he was drawing blood while I slept.  Finally, I consulted a couple of behaviorists, and they both felt that his completely unprovoked aggression was a way of trying to gain my attention.  I didn't hold much hope of changing the behavior, but I was advised to put the kitten on a time out each and every time he bit.  So I gave it a shot.  Every time he bit, I put him alone in the bathroom for 15-30 minutes.  No scolding, since even negative attention is attention.  Just put him somewhere where he could be completely ignored.

It's a challenge at first.  They'll cry at the door, reach under the door with their paws and make you feel like a pretty rotten person!  But usually in a couple weeks' time, you'll see a light come on in their heads.  They realize that biting gets them ignored rather than paid attention to.  Different cats learn at different paces, but I've used this technique countless times over the years and have seen an improvement in every single case.  

So my suggestion is to give this idea some thought.  If you try it for a few weeks and see no improvement, it might be time to consult a vet.  Sometimes cats with unprovoked aggression need to be treated with a medication that may have a mild sedative effect, like many antidepressants.  There are several to choose from, and most times, the medication can be tapered off once the behavior has been corrected.